Life in Central Nevada

Railroad
Valley is a large valley, about 120 miles long and 9 to 12 miles wide,
located in east central Nevada. Surrounded by high mountain ranges,
it is a great distance from the larger population centers of Nevada.
In the 19th century, it was a very isolated place to settle and make a
home. A number of people, however, took up the challenge. Like
other people and communities in Nevada, they used natural resources to
make a living and to build their homes and businesses. The valley
has a water source and good grazing for livestock. In the 1870s the
Bacon brothers settled in the valley at three locations: Bacon Field, Crows
Nest, and Big Creek. Other people moved in later and also established
ranches.

Building materials were scarce
in Railroad Valley. Near the mountains, log cabins were constructed
from nearby timber. In the center of the valley, however, the settlers
used another local resource: springstone. Springstone is a soft rock,
a form of limestone, that can be easily worked. Settlers shaped the
stone into blocks and built stone cabins.